Wherever there is power, there will be politics: Rajeev Khandelwal on film industry

By Zoya Aziz
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 6 : Actor Rajeev Khandelwal, who rose to fame with Ekta Kapoor's 'Kahiin To Hoga,' opened up about the studio politics in the film industry.
In a conversation with ANI, Rajeev said, "Yes, it does exist. Not just studio politics, but there are many other politics that exist in our industry. But having said that, politics exist everywhere. Wherever there is power and influence, there will be politics. Because if there's power in the industry, there will be business, and where there is business, there will be greed, and obviously, if there is greed, there will be politics. So yeah, it's a part and parcel of every industry."
The actor, who has done several films in a career spanning two decades, also spoke about how he still feels like a newcomer with every new project.
"I always feel like a newcomer with every project. I still wonder if people will like me or not; that nervous energy is always there with every project I do. When I look back, it feels surreal--how did it all happen? I never expected such a beautiful journey," he said.
Rajeev, who plays a superstar in his latest series 'Showtime', also shared his thoughts on working in a show that deals with the entertainment industry.
"It was quite interesting to be part of a series that deals with our industry. It wasn't difficult to understand the scenes much since no emotion was unfamiliar to us; these things happen and we already know our industry well. So understanding the series while working on it was straightforward," he said.
Speaking about his first daily soap 'Kahiin To Hoga', Rajeev said, "Just two days back, someone from Canada sent me a reel on my email, saying she was watching it again on YouTube after 20 years. She sent me a clip, saying how beautiful it was. Then I remembered where I had shot that scene. I realized it was at Film City. Looking back, because that was my first daily soap, it will always remain special. The appreciation I received for the character brought back so many memories of all that happened during those one and a half years."
Rajeev Khandelwal played the charming Sujal Garewal in Ekta Kapoor's Kahiin To Hoga (2003) that made his character a poster boy of romance.
The actor is also best known for his performances in films including 'Table No 21', 'Bloody Daddy', 'Aamir' among others.
Coming back to his latest OTT project, Rajeev plays an arrogant superstar named Armaan Singh in the series. 'Showtime' delves into the world of Bollywood, touching on themes like nepotism and power struggles.
The series which released its first four episodes in March, is produced by Dharmatic Entertainment and led by filmmaker Karan Johar.
Featuring an ensemble including Mouni Roy, Naseeruddin Shah, Mahima Makwana, Rajeev Khandelwal, Shriya Saran, and Vijay Raaz, the final three episodes will be available for streaming on Disney+Hotstar on July 12.